New 2024 JLUR X XR & first impressions

JamesWyatt

JamesWyatt

Caught the Bug
Traded the Mojave last Saturday for a '24 JLUR X XR 🥳

Never thought I'd get another chance to get the Anvil color, which is my favorite Wrangler color ever (right alongside Gobi, Gator, and Commando).

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The Good:
  • Return of Anvil.
  • Dramatically improved steering. Heavier feel. Zero play. Tiiiight.
  • 4:88 with the auto (!)
  • Quieter inside as Jeep claims, noticeably so.
  • Improved front seat comfort.
  • Higher-end feel to the interior fit/finish/materials. Approaching G-Wagon/Defender/X5 territory.
  • More intuitive UConnect user interface.
  • Bright and sharp screen. Wide enough that split screens are usable.
  • Improved satellite radio reception that doesn't cut out in my garage or drive though places with metal overhangs.
  • Easily the best stock Wrangler I've ever owned.
The Bad:
  • Items in the door netting can interfere with the power seat controls and/or restrict room for my hand to get to the controls.
  • Missed opportunity for the side vents to be rectangles to match the new center vents (TJ-style).
  • The new XR wheels are too bling. Very few are going to use the XR as beadlocks. They should have partnered with Method to offer a Mopar Bead Grip wheel with a protection ring.
  • Alpine stereo still sounds average. I want the option for a Harman-Kardon system. RAM and Challenger can have it, why not Jeep?
And the Ugly:

MSRP sticker of $72,690 🤯
But thankfully discounted with:
  • $2,000 rebate
  • $1,000 promo email from a pop-up offer while browsing Jeep's build & price page
  • $8,445 dealer discount
$61,245
 
Looks really nice! It is good that Jeep is finally addressing some customer demands!

It seems like Jeep could do much better by offering common add-ons such as a GMRS (and even a CB) radio by partnering with popular brands. Yes, the aftermarket support for add-ons is still good, but Jeep is in control of the interior, and especially the dash. There could be a plan to support commonly added features without doctoring things up and adding projections everywhere.

Likewise, a good quality tire air-up system from the factory would be appreciated, coming with air lines, wiring, fusing, and a respected pump brand (e.g. ARB) from the factory. Having some way to air up the tires is a basic requirement so it is astonishing that this was never addressed.

The option for better gearing and larger tires from the factory is greatly appreciated, even if it is offered at the apparent twilight of the gas powered Jeep, and at a very high price.
 
Congrats on a killer new Rubicon! Jeep really has stepped up their game...thank you Bronco!
Agree with most of your writeup but no change in my satellite radio behavior (minor annoyance) and I like the round side vents but happy with the center horizontal vents under the touchscreen.

The powertrain you have (V6 4.88 Auto) is what I wanted for my '24 JLR-X but Jeep only offered the 2.0T w/4.56 Auto for all 2-door JL's w/the XR package and they seem to have even 'paused' that option. Happy to have received mine last week!
 
bobfriesenhahn said:
Looks really nice! It is good that Jeep is finally addressing some customer demands!

It seems like Jeep could do much better by offering common add-ons such as a GMRS (and even a CB) radio by partnering with popular brands. Yes, the aftermarket support for add-ons is still good, but Jeep is in control of the interior, and especially the dash. There could be a plan to support commonly added features without doctoring things up and adding projections everywhere.

Likewise, a good quality tire air-up system from the factory would be appreciated, coming with air lines, wiring, fusing, and a respected pump brand (e.g. ARB) from the factory. Having some way to air up the tires is a basic requirement so it is astonishing that this was never addressed.

The option for better gearing and larger tires from the factory is greatly appreciated, even if it is offered at the apparent twilight of the gas powered Jeep, and at a very high price.
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If I wasn't smoking crack when I read it, I think onboard air is being offered on the 392 Final Edition. Would love to see that offered as an option on all Rubicons.
 
NPC 6060⁸42 said:
Awesome id be curious your thoughts after a few thousand miles too. Personally I think Jeep has really stepped up their game.
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Agreed. At first I wasn't sure about the new interior, but once I realized the dash wasn't fabric and sat inside one, I changed my mind. Yeah, I'll report back after putting more miles on it.
 
4PLAY said:
Congrats on a killer new Rubicon! Jeep really has stepped up their game...thank you Bronco!
Agree with most of your writeup but no change in my satellite radio behavior (minor annoyance) and I like the round side vents but happy with the center horizontal vents under the touchscreen.

The powertrain you have (V6 4.88 Auto) is what I wanted for my '24 JLR-X but Jeep only offered the 2.0T w/4.56 Auto for all 2-door JL's w/the XR package and they seem to have even 'paused' that option. Happy to have received mine last week!
Click to expand...
Congrats on yours! The 2.0T with 4:56 is really a nice combo. It might be too easy to spool up the 2.0T and launch yourself into some rocks if they put the 4:88s on 'em without 37s 🙃
 
DirtHeadDavis said:
We are getting much more cool Wranglers in than before at my dealer, Jeep has definitely stepped up their game a bit for the 24 model year. Congrats and I'm glad you got a great deal on a great Jeep!
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Thanks, yeah I never thought I'd see the day when I'd see such a well-built Wrangler – or see so many JLs on 35s on the lot. All Jeep needs to do now is offer an optional Atlas transfer case with a 2-speed low range.
 
JamesWyatt said:
Congrats on yours! The 2.0T with 4:56 is really a nice combo. It might be too easy to spool up the 2.0T and launch yourself into some rocks if they put the 4:88s on 'em without 37s 🙃
Click to expand...



True! However I might have needed wheelie bars had I been able to get the V6 4.88 package...The brand new-in-box Edelbrock 3.6 V6 Supercharger w/Tune I bought for my '20 JLR and didn't get around to installing might have found a home at last!🤣
 
Update after the first on-road trip of just over 600 miles round trip from Placitas, New Mexico (5,250') to Ouray, Colorado (7,792') then back home via Telluride area. I didn't feel the need to drive Hwy 550 between Silverton and Ouray more than once, lol. Respect to the crew that snow plows that road. The highest point on the trip was Red Mountain Pass at 11,018'.

Mileage for the entire trip was 17.6 mpg.
75 mph was my max speed since the speed limits were never above 70 mph the whole time. The stretch from Durango to Ouray was mostly below 45 mph up/down steep grades with manually shifting the transmission so as not to heat up the brakes. I did expect to get lower mileage given the elevation changes, so I'll take the win. It'll be interesting to see if the mileage drops on future trips at speeds at or above 80 mph.

Steering and on-road handling was superb.
Steering feel is heavier versus a pre-2024 XR, but that's about the only difference. No slop in the steering unlike all the non-XR models I've had previously (when comparing in stock form). Vehicle was unbothered by heavy crosswinds – as planted on the road in the wind at high speeds as the 2500 Power Wagon I used to drive. Happy to be out of my '23 Mojave that drove like a bobsled at high speeds in the wind (its steering box was probably not tight enough from the factory).

3.6L engine + 4:88s + 315s did well on-road.
Never had gears this low in my TJ/JK/JL/JTs before, so this is nothing new to a lot of you. 7th/8th gears in the auto trans worked well on the highway. But it is more noticeable on the highway with 4:88s over 4:10s when the trans holds 7th since puts the RPMs at or just below 3,000 RPM at 75 mph (8th ran right at 2,400 RPM).

Not needed but much appreciated.
  • Never had the Nappa leather before so that was nice.
  • Rear cross-path detection is really good on the JL. It beeps in a different tone when in reverse and someone or something is crossing what will be your rearward path. Very useful feature that is well implemented.
  • Adaptive cruise was nice, but I would forget I had it on and would end up slowing down and staying behind someone before I came out of my stupor and finally passed them.
  • Seat shape and padding felt as comfortable as the JT Mojave seats. I didn't expect to enjoy the power seats with adjustable lumbar support as much as I did. Moving the lumbar up/down and changing the amount in inflation helped reduce back fatigue on long stretches.
  • The larger center screen with updated interface made more of a difference than I thought it would. It was easier to look over and see what I needed to quickly while driving.
  • The quieter interior was probably the star of the show with regard to the 2024 updates. My wife and I could converse much more easily than in previous JL/JTs. I'll probably ruin that by changing to mud tires at some point :LOL:
Mods report.
  • The Bulletpoint phone holder contraption worked really well, especially the MagSafe charger in combination with wireless CarPlay. I could see the turn-by-turn directions on the vertical phone screen while it displayed the map on the UConnect screen. Not sure why I waited until I was so old to finally buy my first vehicle phone holder, lol.
  • The RokBlokz XL mud flaps worked well. Every set of KO2s should come with a set of these for free. Gravel would pelt the flaps and not my hinges.
  • M.O.R.E. side steps worked well. At 6' tall, I can get in and out fine, but using the step is going to save the side of my seat from excessive wear because I still scrape across the seat getting in without them. My wife does need them, though – she's tall enough, but it keeps her from tweaking her back, which likes to give her trouble sometimes.

Issue and notable mention.
  • A/C baffle actuator or the baffle door itself inside the lower center dash got a bit noisy right before the trip. It gronks and complains with a stepping noise at every startup now if the vehicle has been turned off long enough for the baffle to close up. Might need to get the dealer to fix this if it doesn't magically stop making that noise soon.
  • Cruise control at 75 mph on long steep stretches at just the right grade can make the trans have trouble holding the downshift long enough. This happened on the stretch of road just south of Cuba, NM (from my house to there the elevation goes from 5,250' to 7,000'). I didn't notice this happen anywhere else on the trip with much steeper grades, so maybe the computer needed to adjust/adapt the transmission programming to the driving conditions.

South of Telluride on Hwy 145 at Trout Lake
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